Expert Advice

4 Natural Ingredients that Boost Your Endurance

At some point, every athlete hits a wall or bonks, and it sucks. Take back control by simply adding these 4 natural endurance-boosting ingredients to your nutritional regimen! When you fuel and train with the powerful combination of coconut water, magnesium, L-glutamine and BCAAs you’ll have less pain and exhaustion – making you that much closer to crushing your next personal best.

Coconut Water

Lengthy and intense periods of exercise leave endurance athletes at particularly high risk for dehydration, especially in periods of heat. Unfortunately, even with minimal dehydration, when blood volume drops, dramatic effects on performance may occur.

Coconut water, which is the water found inside a young coconut, contains a rich supply of the electrolytes potassium and sodium chloride. During endurance exercise, these steadily support the body with hydration status, nerve, heart and muscle function. It also contains easily digestible carbs, which have long been known to support athletes to maintain their intensity and improve performance.

Magnesium Bysglycinate

During intense exercise, the body uses oxygen to break down glucose for energy. However, when not enough oxygen is available, lactate, a byproduct of metabolism, is made to complete the process. This resulting lactate build up causes the familiar short-term muscle fatigue or burn, as well as lingering post-workout soreness.

Magnesium, which is an essential mineral found in both whole food and supplement forms plays several critical roles in the body related to energy metabolism and muscle function. It’s specifically important for endurance athletes to use because it prevents the lactate buildup mentioned above.

Endurance athletes looking to support long and intense workouts are wise to choose Magnesium in the easier-to-digest Bysglycinate form simply because it may help to prevent cramping and other common gastrointestinal issues.

Fermented BCAAs

Well known to many athletes, the three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine are considered essential because they cannot be synthesized by the body and must come from food sources.

BCAAs play special roles in repairing muscle tissues and fighting against DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Compared to other amino acids, they are metabolized in a unique way that allows them to contribute to energy production during prolonged exercise. This is particularly important to athletes undergoing long, exhaustive workouts because the BCAAs make up approximately one-third of the proteins the body uses during exercise.

Also, it’s worth noting that with more and more athletes paying closer attention to the quality of ingredients, along with a growing desire for natural and plant-based options, fermented BCAAs are 100% vegan, bioavailable and free of allergens.

Fermented L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine is a naturally occurring amino acid, yet unlike the BCAAs, it is considered non-essential and can be made by the body. It’s the most abundant amino acid stored in the muscles and it’s released through the bloodstream during stressful periods like endurance exercise.

During and after intense physical exertion, the role of L-Glutamine is to aid in cellular repair and recovery. It prevents muscle breakdown, improves glycogen synthesis and storage, and it’s other main role is to support the immune system function.

Because intense exercise reduces glutamine in the body and this may result in a compromised immune system, athletes should pay special attention to replenishing glutamine in order to be sure they don’t allow illness to get in the way of their training.

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